Method of making wire-glass.



N FFMNZME.

wam-m9 m mum@ Wm mes., APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23 19%3.'

2 HEBTS-HEEET 2.

'martin earns i orme.

nient/,is rnannnii, Y or warmem PENNSYLVANIA, assronon or cnn-nerr ro riresnUnei-i rna'rn e-Lassiooi/Iranr, or rrrrsBuieoI-r, PENNSYLVANIA, .a coaroaa- 'rien or rnnnsrtvania.

METHOD 0F MAKING WIRE-GLASS.

Specicaton of llletters Patent.' Patented flipt. iig, llglif Application filed Uctober 23, 1913. Serial No. 796,937.

Tooltip/"ibm may concern.' Be 1t known that l, NIcnLAs FnANznN,

residing at l/Valtomin the county of lille-v 4form with wire incorporated within it; and

the objects of -iny improvements are to render this one-pour operation of greater practical lvalue than it has heretofore been, by avoiding certain diiculties in the ,prior practice. i

The machine herein disclosedvby which I carry out the process claimed in ,this application isclaimed in a priorapplication filed by me May 8th,'l909, Serial No. L194,858.4 Q

In the. accompanying drawings which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal vertical section of my improved machine, performing in its operationzny improved method; Fig. 2 is a plan View of this machine, showin0r one feature or element thereof in modified form; Fig. 8 shows in elevation a detail of the machine as illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. e is a view inv Y cross section of one of the rolls of the mavertical section a modification of still another feature or element of the machine ofV Aeach case.;

Fig.. l. y

Parts which are'- repeated in the several figures bear the same reference numerals in Referring first to Fig. l of the'drawings, the machine will be seen to include a forming surface, here shown as a horizontally eX- tendin table to l. Means are shown, co-A operating rwith this table-top, tospread a of wire.

batchy of molten glass depositedthereon to sheet form, and to incorporate therein aweb The means preferably employed consistI of two rolls 2 and 3, organized with the tableto traverse the table from end to end. To this end the rolls are preferably mounted in stationary housings while the table is mounted to move to and fro beneath them. The rolls are preferably positively driven as the table moves. 4The leading roll coperates with the table top, when the machine is in operation, to spread a batch of molten glass A, teemed upon table top l, to sheet form, as indicated at a. Traveling immediately behind roll 2 is roll 3. vlt is a corrugated roll, and its purpose is, by virtue -of its corrugations, to sink into the loody of the layer a the web of wire B with which its surface is covered at the Atime when the layer of glass a in the operation of the machine comesY beneath it. y

'In addition to the means thus far described, for spreading the sheet and sinking the wire into it, the machine .includes means for vsmoothing the surface'of the wire-containing sheet, @which 'passes from beneath the corrugated roll, 3, and these surfacesmoothing means are eiiectiye also to preiventtlfie' blaclrening of the wire through oxidation-a condition which, when produced,

renders the product unfit. for polishing, dev grades its quality, an reduces its value. The-means shown in Fig. l for accomplishing these ends consist of a gas-burner 8 `arranged immediately rearwardof `roll 3 and of roll l, arranged rearwardof said gas-burner and properly related in its posi-v tion to the table-top l. Roll l also is, prof# erably, a positively driven roll.

The feature of the machine which I shall irstdescribe' in. detail relates to the corrugated roll 3, employed for sinking the wire into the glass until it ta s definite and predetermined position relative to the table top upon which the sheet is formed. l have found it advantageous to corrugate roll 3 in the manner which is indicated in Figs. 2 and 4f. lt will there be seen that the corrugations of the roll, instead of extending in annularA grooves around theroll body, wind spirally over it, extending longitudinally of the roll `as well as laterally. And further, the corrugations are cut out so deep that, in the operation of the machine, the glass entering the corrugations does not completely fill them, and the surface of the protrusions of glass entering the corrugations is not entirely chilled by contact with the roll surface. This is shown in Fig.' l, andfin Fig. 4, a dotted circle, d, is intended tdL indicate the depth to which the corrugations of the roll enter the sheet of soft glass. The roll thus spirallycorrugated is advantageous over a roll corrugated in rings around its barrel and in a plane perpendicular to its axis, because with a roll so corrugated, the wire which is carried into the glass by the corrugations will slacken between the points where the corrugations bear upon it, and when embedded in the glass will not lie so nearly ina single plane as it will if my spirally corrugated roll be used. My spirally corrugated roll is further advantageous over a roll which is corrugated longitudinally in lines parallel with the axis of the roll, because after such a roll has sunk the wire to position, the furrows or grooves formed by the projections upon the roll body are to be closed by a following smooth roll, or like means, and this smooth roll advancing over the surface and tending: to close up the furrows simultaneously from end to end is the more apt to entrap in the furrows bodies of air niarringvthe fnishedheet, whereas if the eorrugating roll is oneftvhich is spirally corrugated, the smooth roller advancing to iron out the furrows, does not advance upon them from end to end simultaneously but closes them gradually, beginning at one end and ,continuing gradually to the other end, and in such agradual closure air is not entrapped as in the other case. Further, in order to effect the more accurate and more satisfactory placement of the wire within the glass, the Wire asit is fed to the glass over the surface of roll 3 is held under tension. To this end, a small roll, 5, coperates with the corrugated roll 3 to engage the web of wire B, descending over it,holding it against free descent, and drawing the wire taut between the bite of roll 5 against roll 3 and the point where the wire is entrained in the hot glass.

Another feature of the machine concerns roll 2 and the condition of the sheet of glass as originally spread beneath it. In order that the surface of this sheet a may not be unduly chilled, but may be as hot and soft as possible for the further operation, I preferablymake provision that the surface of the leading roll 2 shall, when coming incontact with the batch of molten glass A, be moist. In consequence of; this moistening of leading roll- 2, the layer a as it isrst spread is not so greatly chilled as it otherwise would be. In. order to effectv` such moistening of thesurface of roll'2, Iprovide a receptacle 6 adjacent to roll 2 `forwater orv other iluid` and allow it to feed out through a suitably disposed opening, and preferably soak through a brush or wick 7 which. makes contact with or brushes over the surface of roll 2 as the roll turns. The moistening substance need not be water, but may be any substance which by vaporizing Will tend to form a heat-insulating envelop over the roll surface when it comes in contact with the batch of glass A.

Another feature of my machine concerns the further treatment of the wire-containing sheet b, after it has passed from beneath the corrugated roll 3. In preexisting one-pour operations, two difliculties have been cncountered: one difficulty has been that, in consequence of the chilling of the glass by the corrugated roll used for sinking the wire into the sheet, it has not been possible to entirely eradicate the furrows and produce a perfectly smooth surface; and the other diculty has been that the wire, heated to or near incandescenee by contact with the glass, is, when the uncompleted sheet passes from beneath the corrugated roll, exposed, at the bottoms of the furrows, to the oxidizing effect of the air. I have already explained that, by the peculiar construction of my wire-sinking roll 3, the ridges of glass which are "formed beneath it are less completely chilled than is the case with a corrugated roll of usual construction, and in consequence, the furrowed surface may be leveled more smoothly and the glass since it is still soft has a tendency to spread and cover the wire more completely, as the sheet passes from beneath the wire-sinking roll. However, l preferably employ additional means for overcoming the diiiiculties mentioned above; I interpose between the wiresinking roll 3 and the smoothing roll 4- means for reheating and softening to a greater degree the uneven surface 'of layer I). This reheating means preferably consists of a gasburner 8 with nozzle or nozzles so positioned as to cause a sheet of flame to play upon the surface of the layer b as it passes from beneath roll 3 to roll 4 or t0 such other smoothing means as I may employ.v It will be understood that, not only will the reheating so effected produce a better surface in the linished article, but also, by proper control, the flame may be a non-oxidizing (er even a reducing) flame, and as such may protect the wire (so far as it is exposed) from the oxidizing influence of the air, until the time when (either by the melting of the ridges of glass or by the spreading of them beneath the smoothing. means) the wire is completely embedded. lt will be understood that the part 8, instead of being a gasburner, may emit a non-oxidizing gas not hot enough to soften the glass. Such a gas will protect the wire from blaelrening, but

'will leek the advantage ont naar,

softening the glass Ereparatoy to the linal smoothing..

l s all now describe certain structural alternatives or modifications et the machine shown in Fig. ,1, and above described.

Figs. 2 Tand 3 illustrate alternative for smoothing the uneven surface of the sheet emerging from beneath the vi/ire embedding means, the corrugated roll These alternative means consist oit a series of rotating disks, 9, so arranged that as the sheet passes beneath them, every 'portion of its upper surface shall be subjected to the action of these disks. ll preferably arrange these disks to -rest by their own Weight upon the glass, and free to rise and fall in.` respense to any irregularity of surface. ln. Fig. 2 l have shown both the smoothing roll 4 and. the disks 9, employed in the saine inachine and arranged to operate successively upon the surface of the sheet. Fig. l shows the roll alone in use, and it will be under stood that in like, manner the roll may be eliminated from the machine'sliovvn in Fig. 2, and the disks alone employed. lt will be understood'too that Whatever be the particular form of smoothing means, the means for regenerating the surface ofthe glass, already described.J may be combined there with, asvillustrated in Fig. l.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate an obvious medi lication of the machine of Fig. l., the modiication being the conversion' of the talile machine of Fig. l into a roll machine. A roll 1fL here takes the place of the table l; and the roll 1EL and the rolls 2, 3, and l are arranged to rotate in unison and eillect the operations already described. Such organization is well known to this art. ln Fig. d the alternative smoothing means, consisting in rotating disks, are shown, applied to the roll machine and Without the coperation of roll 4l, shown in Fig-2. The disks are peculiarly applicable to 'the roll machine, because in consequence of the tangential position of the disk surfaces against the glass, the smoothing eidect is gradually intensified as the glass moves beneath the disk0 ln Fig. 'l' l have shown a modication in the form. of? the glass-spreading roll. lnstead of the smooth-faced'roll, 2, oit liig. l, l here shovv means lit'or spreading thev glass, such means being provided with .an uneven surface, adapted to spread a sheet of .lass with protrusions upon its otherwise leve enposed surface. ln such case the meansemployed for sinking the Wire in the newly formed sheet,`already described inupreierred torni as the corrugated roll 3, has'a correspoiiding iinevenness of surface. 'llie preferred form for the glass-spreading means is the corrugated roll 2, the grooves in it corresponding lin position, Width and direc tion With those of roll 3, but they are shallovver than the grooves of roll 3. The pas'V ed t i.

ticular form of corrugation may he, though; it need not necessarily be that described above for the roll 8 oi Fig. l. lin this case instead of arranging roll 3 at somewhat less distance from the table top than the leading roll, the space intervals between the table top and the two rolls will be substantially equal. The tivo rolls 2 and 3, are so geared that the protrusioiis formed by vroll 2 in spreading the sheet shall in the progress oit the operation register with and enter the grooves ofioll 3, but, being formed in shallower grooves, and thetivo rolls being in this case spaced at substantially equal dis tances above the table top, these protrusions while entering will not iill the grooves of roll 3. The surface of the sheet is not in this case materially disturbed by roll 3, encept in causing the wire to out through the protrusions and come to position 'within the sheet in a. plane corresponding appt-onin mately vvithtlie low points of the surface et the glass, between the protrnsions. .fle

coidingly, 'the chilling eliect of a second roll contacting with the surface of the glass is in this case to a. greater degree avoided. ll-'loistening means, auch as already described, may he used on the corrugated roll 2, it desired;

The operation oi the machine Will be apparent to those who are familiar with Wireglass machinery upon inspection of the drawings. ln the operation of the machine my improvements in method are edected. The batch ci molten glass il. tesmed upon the table l is spread 'to layer form beneathA the roll 2, the moistening of the roll elifecting a superior condition of the surface of the layer spread beneath it. This layer so spread then comes beneath theI corrugated ivire-enibedding roll, and this Wire-embed ding roll by virtue of the depth and shape oi. the corrugations and the coperating ten sion roll, place the Wire nii di nitel the sheet and leave the surface nere Li able 'condition :tor furtherl siiioct is commonly the praci. The a taining sheet then passes from beneath roll 5S and is subjected to the heat of the burner S, or its equivalent. rlflie surface is thus regenerated .or softened, so that the smoothing means then acting upon it Will bring it to better condition than has heretofore been obtained in such Wire glass machines; and, at the same time, so much of the Wire as is exposed is protected from the oxidizing ef- -feet of the air.

l claim as my invention: i

l. 'llie method of making .vireglass herein described which consists in lorming a. single batch of molten glass into a layer with wire incompletely buried beneath one uneven surface, maintaining 'a non-oxidizing atmosphere over that surface in Which the Wire is incompletely buried, and spread- .mig the -unevenness of surf'ace to bury the 1wife completeiy. v

The method of making Wire-glass herein described which Consists in spreading a mich of nloten glass te layer form, sinking@4 Wire vinta one surface of the layerso spread, maintaining a non-oxidizing atmosphere over *'hzit surface into which the Wire,

has heen slmk'and smoothing the sziid sm'- fzarf?. 10

In zestixnom7 whereof have hereunto set my hand.

i NICKLAS FRANZEN.

Witnesses A. Gr. Bonn, J. M. SHOAF. 

